Investing Trends for 2026: DeFi, Tokenization, Capital Formation, Speculation & AI | Ben Lakoff & Arnav from Bankless Ventures

Ben Lakoff and Arnav Pagidyala from Bankless Ventures lay out how they’re thinking about crypto investing heading into 2026. The conversation spans four persistent pillars of every cycle: DeFi, tokenization, capital formation, and speculation and how each is evolving as crypto matures. Topics include the next wave of on-chain lending, equity perps, DeFi neobanks, verticalized tokenization platforms, compliant ICOs, prediction and opinion markets, and where AI agents may reshape crypto-native finance. A candid look at what’s investable now, what’s changing, and how Bankless Ventures is underwriting the next cycle. ------ 📣SPOTIFY PREMIUM RSS FEED | USE CODE: SPOTIFY24  https://bankless.cc/spotify-premium ------ BANKLESS SPONSOR TOOLS: 🔵COINBASE | ETH & BTC BACKED LOANS https://bankless.cc/coinbase-borrow 🪙FRAXNET | MINT, REDEEM, & EARN  https://bankless.cc/fraxnet 🦄UNISWAP | CONTINUOUS CLEARING AUCTIONS  https://bankless.cc/uniswap-cca 🛞MANTLE | GLOBAL HACKATHON 2025 https://bankless.cc/mantle-hackathon 💤EIGHT SLEEP | IMPROVE YOUR SLEEP https://bankless.cc/eight-sleep  ------ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 Intro 11:59 DeFi 36:20 Tokenization 50:25 Capital Formation 1:00:44 Speculation Markets 1:09:58 AI 1:13:26 Founders & Teams 1:15:31 Closing & Disclaimers ------ RESOURCES Ben Lakoff https://x.com/benlakoff  Arnav https://x.com/0xArnav  Bankless Ventures https://x.com/banklessvc  ------ Not financial or tax advice. See our investment disclosures here: https://www.bankless.com/disclosures⁠